Compliance and Traceability in Defence Manufacturing

Subscribers to the Financial Times may have seen the recent article on Renk, best known as the supplier of armoured vehicle gearboxes, and the steps it is considering following Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s announcement earlier this month of a partial arms embargo on Israel.

Berlin introduced the partial embargo in response to the civilian casualties caused by the war against Hamas in Gaza, which began in late 2023. In the United Kingdom, similar measures have been taken: Defence Secretary John Healey has confirmed that the UK has suspended new and existing export licences for military goods that might be used by the Israeli Defence Forces in ongoing operations in Gaza. In making this decision, he underlined the government’s commitment to upholding humanitarian law and protecting civilians.

While embargoes make headlines, they are only one part of a broader reality. Defence manufacturers must demonstrate compliance and traceability every day. Whether under embargo or not, the ability to prove how a system was built, which tools were used, and where each component originated is now a permanent requirement for certification, quality assurance, and customer trust.

Why traceability cannot be optional

In modern defence programmes, batch-level paperwork is no longer sufficient. Directors and programme leads are routinely asked to provide evidence at the level of the individual component and the individual process step. The questions are precise: which bolt was tightened on which gearbox; by which operator using which calibrated tool; at what torque value; and at what exact time and location? Was the tool within calibration at that moment, and who authorised its use?

These questions arise during certification audits, customer acceptance, safety investigations, and routine quality reviews. They arise in stable times and during periods of heightened scrutiny. Traceability, therefore, is not a contingency for exceptional circumstances. It is the operational baseline for building complex, safety-critical equipment at scale.

What unit-level traceability looks like

Unit-level traceability means that every component can be followed from receipt to installation, and every action applied to it can be evidenced. In practice, this involves four layers of information working together:

  • Identity: a unique identifier for the unit or sub-assembly (serialised part, kit, or tool).
  • Context: where the unit is in space and which process step it is undergoing.
  • Control: the rules that determine whether the unit can proceed (e.g., “only torque tool X may complete step Y on unit Z”).
  • Evidence: the data captured automatically when the step is performed (who, what, where, when, with which calibrated asset, and the measured parameters).

When these layers are connected, you can reconstruct the digital thread of a product instantly, without manual searches across paper travellers and siloed IT systems.

Location-based rules in action: the bolt-tightening example 

Consider a gearbox assembly where critical bolts must be tightened to a specific torque using an approved, in-calibration tool.

  • Authorisation by zone: the torque tool is digitally permitted to complete “Bolt-Tighten Step 3” only within the authorised workstation zone. If the tool enters another zone, the system records an exception and prevents step completion.
  • Calibration guardrail: the tool’s calibration status is checked automatically before the step can be confirmed. If the certificate is expired or approaching expiry, the system blocks completion and triggers a prompt to exchange the tool.
  • Step validation: when the operator completes the tightening, SmartSpace® records the event with unit ID, tool ID, torque value (where available via integration), operator ID, workstation location, and timestamp.
  • Chain of custody: if the sub-assembly leaves the area before all required bolts are complete, a location rule raises an alert and stops the next process step from starting.

None of this relies on operators remembering to tick a box after the fact. Compliance is created by the movement of authorised assets and people through well-defined spaces, enforced by rules that run in the background.

Extending the model across the supply chain

The same pattern applies upstream and downstream:

  • Inbound components: on receipt, serialised parts are linked to supplier certificates and inspection results. Location events confirm that quarantined items cannot enter production zones until released.
  • Kitting and issue: kits are assembled and verified at point of issue. If a kit is incomplete, mis-picked, or contains an out-of-policy substitute, the system prevents it from crossing into the assembly area.
  • Test and inspection: only approved test rigs in the correct zone can record results against a unit. If a unit misses a required inspection station, the next station will not accept it.
  • Shipping and export: final custody is captured when the crate is sealed and enters the dispatch zone. If any component with export restrictions is detected in an unauthorised consignment, the load is flagged before it reaches the gate.

This creates a continuous, tamper-resistant trail from supplier to shipment, proving not just what was built, but that it was built under the right conditions.

How SmartSpace® and integrations make this practical

Ubisense SmartSpace sits as the location-driven layer that understands who and what is where, and which process step is allowed to occur in that space. It connects to:

  • ERP/MES for work orders, routings, and step completion.
  • QMS for calibration certificates, non-conformance handling, and controlled documentation.
  • Tooling systems and PLCs for torque values, usage counts, and interlocks where available.
  • Any RTLS and identification sources (UWB, BLE, passive RFID, barcodes) for real-time presence and movement.

Conclusion

In defence manufacturing, compliance and traceability are not optional—they are the foundation of delivery and credibility. By embedding location-aware rules and automated evidence capture with SmartSpace, manufacturers move from reactive paperwork to proactive assurance.

The result is smoother audits, faster access to proof, stronger customer trust, and operations that remain resilient under scrutiny.

If you are exploring ways to strengthen compliance and traceability in your operations, start with a focused SmartSpace pilot. Prove the value quickly, then scale with confidence.

Get in touch with our team to see how SmartSpace can transform compliance into a competitive advantage.

Oscar Harwood 

Junior Account Manager – Aerospace, Defence, Industrial –  +44 1223 785812